Transfers!!

OKAY.  So the Big news of the week-  both my trainee and I are getting transferred!  So we are

leaving Morrisville and they are closing down the area for sisters for a while.  I don't know how long; but that was definitely not expected.  We got the call Saturday night around 9:30.  I had been on edge all day with the phone on vibrate and at my waist wherever we went to make sure I wouldn't miss a

call from someone telling me that I was being transferred.  So you can picture me, back at the apartment that night, totally deflated because I had been expecting to leave.  I was mentally preparing for another transfer here when *ring-ring-ring* the phone goes off!  Our District Leader Elder Hardy goes, "sisters, drum roll please..."

Elder Hardy

Then says, "you are BOTH leaving...pack your bags!"  We were SHOCKED and spent the rest of the night trying to wrap our minds around it.  The next day at church was super dramatic and emotional when they called us sisters up and Elder Hardy as well to give our departing testimonies.  It has been quite humorous to have both Sister Petersen and I pack and not run into each other, do laundry and clean!  Talk about mission memories!  We had to give over our area book to the elders and update them on the things we have been doing.  I am confident that they will do a good job and the Lord will direct them.  What is meant to happen will happen- I am sure.  

The week prior was also very eventful!  We had Zone Training on Wednesday with the missionaries in our stake boundaries, and then Christmas Zone Conference the very next day with half of our mission.  For Zone Training the other District leaders, the Zone leaders and I decided on what we were going to do.  It was a little different than the average instructions, but we had a self reflection based training.  We broke into two groups and one group sat out by the temple, and the second group went to the RS room inside the stake center. 

We were given a piece of paper for each category of 'pre-mission, from the MTC till now, and from now until the end of your mission'.  There were questions for each section that were meant to make the missionaries reflect and ask themselves whether or not they were where they wanted to be.  It was GREAT and I think it served its purpose.  The next day for Conference President James and his wife, and one of his counselors addressed us as well as a boy named Michael who had Cerebral Palsy, and a lady from the area who all spoke on life's challenges and overcoming them.   It was amazing and the spirit was very strong.  Then President James opened up the rest of the meeting for testimonies.  It was a powerful way to end.  After lunch we had the Music portion of the meeting!  We were told we could perform, so up to the conference Sister Petersen and I practiced a song we wanted to sing.  We sang “We Seek After These Things” and it was good- the other performances were great as well!  That was a good day.

Then the day before all of THAT (Tuesday) was Deep clean day, for our apartments, and 2nd Transfer call-in for the New missionaries.  So Sister P. and I were a part of that.  We got on a conference call and President assigned each of us to talk about something from the 12 week training program.  Whoa it was a busy week.  On top of all of that we were able to find 2 new investigators and go on another exchange with the Asian sisters.  I went with Sister Richardson to her Mandarin class and left with my head hurting!  That is a hard language! Dang!

"A testimony is spiritual knowledge of truth obtained by the power of the Holy Ghost.  Continuing conversion is constant devotion to the revealed truth we have received- with a heart that is willing and for righteous reasons.  Knowing that the gospel is true is the essence of a testimony.  Consistently being true to the gospel is the essence of conversion.  We should know the gospel is true and be true to the gospel."

I am grateful for the conversion I have experienced.  What are you willing to do to become more converted to your Savior?
Love,
SISTER Mallory Golden